Insight

Uber expands to 6 new cities across China

10/21/2014|10:53:36 AM|Techinasia.com

Uber is now available in Hangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou – in addition to the capital.

Uber picked Beijing for the global debut of its carpooling option back in August. For China, the US startup gave it the catchy name People’s Uber and decided to make it – unlike in the rest of the world – a not-for-profit venture. Drivers get paid, but Uber doesn’t take a cut. Today Uber is expanding People’s Uber from the capital, opening up the cheapest ride option to six new Chinese cities, the company says today.

So People’s Uber is now available in Hangzhou, Chengdu, Wuhan, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou – in addition to the capital. That’s every mainland Chinese city where it operates. The carpool option is a bit cheaper than UberX, closer to the price of a regular city taxi.

Wuhan is a brand-new city for Uber, announced by the startup separately today. But Wuhan, for now, comes only with the carpooling option, not the UberBlack or UberX that you might expect.

We’ve contacted Uber for any statistics on People’s Uber, such as how many drivers have joined the program, and will update if they’re able to comment.